


Call Me

by carolej126



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 20:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4235151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolej126/pseuds/carolej126
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally published in Sensory Overload 10 (Neon Rainbow Press, 2005)</p>
<p>Traffic, cell phones, Jim and Blair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Call Me

"That poor lady's never going to get out."

His attention focused on the traffic ahead, along with the construction barrels that seemed to be placed a little too close to the road, Jim Ellison simply murmured, "Hmmm?"

"She's never going to get out," Blair Sandburg repeated. When Ellison darted a quick glance in his direction, he pointed toward a small red car waiting to pull out into traffic. "Not with traffic backed up like this."

Jim nodded, his foot easing down on the brake pedal. "Wave her out."

Blair rolled his window down and, sticking his arm out, motioned for the middle-aged woman driver to pull out ahead of them. When the red vehicle didn't budge from its place, he tried again, gesturing more emphatically. There was still no movement from the car. "I don't think she's even looking this way," Blair said, pulling his arm back in.

Jim took a closer look at the driver. "She's on the phone." He shrugged, then released the brake, rejoining the long line of traffic that continued to move at a snail's pace through the construction zone.

Blair shook his head, eying the driver as they passed the compact car. "Oh, well. Her loss." Twisting back around in his seat, he checked their progress through the front windshield. "Man, could we move any slower? I think the last mile took us over twenty minutes."

"Yep, we could," Jim answered, sighing in exasperation at the flash of brake lights on the car ahead of them. "Now we're going to stop completely."

Blair checked his watch. "We've still got plenty of time to get there. The meeting doesn't start for another hour or so."

Jim just nodded at the reassurance. Impatiently tapping on the steering wheel, his fingers kept an irregular rhythm until the line of traffic began to move again.

"You know, I don't even see anybody working out here. Where is everybody? You'd think they could at least be doing some work if they're gonna close a lane down."

"Probably taking a lunch break," Jim said, more than a little sullenly, suddenly aware of his growling stomach.

"Hey, Jim?"

"Yeah?"

Blair nodded toward the next side road. "Maybe we should let them out."

Jim sighed, but slowed down slightly, leaving room between his truck and the station wagon in front of them. "Wave them out."

Once again, Blair rolled his window down and motioned to the other driver, extending his arm as far as he could and waving almost frantically.

"He's on the phone," Jim informed him, when the brown sedan didn't move.

"Can you believe these people?" Without success, Blair tried again to get the other driver's attention.

"You might as well roll the window up, Chief."

With a disgusted look on his face, Blair did just that, shaking his head as they passed the car, its driver still obliviously chatting on the phone. "Can you tell if we're almost out of the construction zone?"

Jim narrowed his gaze, extending his vision down the road. "Two more blocks and then we'll be through the worst of it."

"Good." Blair checked his watch again. "We'll make it." As the truck continued to slowly creep forward, he noticed a SUV waiting at the upcoming intersection. "Uh, Jim?"

Following Blair's gaze to the white Expedition poised to pull out into traffic, Jim shook his head, muttering, "Sandburg."

"What?" Blair asked innocently.

With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Jim slowed the Ford to a stop. "Wave her out."

Quickly rolling the window down for the third time, Blair used a two-handed wave, indicating the driver should pull out. The SUV didn't budge.

"Chief…"

Blair turned to look at Jim, his eyes wide. "Don't tell me."

Jim chuckled. "Yep."

"On the phone?" Blair asked in disbelief. "Don't any of these people want to get out on the road?"

"Guess not."

Blair thought for a moment, then reached into his backpack. As Jim watched curiously, he pulled out a blank piece of paper and a black marker.

"What are you doing?"

Ignoring the question for the moment, Blair quickly scribbled a message. When he was finished, he held it up for Jim's perusal.

Want us to let you out?  
Call 1-800-GetOffThePhone!

"Sandburg," Jim laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

"Hey, it might work." With a mischievous grin on his face, Blair held up the sign in the window.

"She's looking the other way," Jim reported. He quickly tapped the horn, chuckling when Blair jumped in surprise. "Just trying to help."

The young woman in the SUV finally looked their direction, apparently drawn by the blare of the horn. After reading the message silently, she read it again, her lips moving. An embarrassed smile crossed her face, and she spoke a last word into the phone before setting it down.

Blair gestured with his hand, indicating that she should pull out ahead of them.

The driver smiled, mouthing, "Thanks," before pulling out in front of them.

"Cute," Blair commented appreciatively.

"Uh-huh," Jim agreed, as he released the brake and allowed the truck to move forward again.

"Hey, I think we're almost out of it," Blair suddenly called, relieved to see the barrels giving way to traffic cones, and up ahead, visible in the distance, an open right hand lane.

Jim nodded, returning his attention to the road as the stop and go traffic finally began to pick up speed.

A few minutes later, a surprised Blair called out, "Look, Jim, it's her," when a familiar white vehicle came up beside them, matching their speed.

As both men watched, the smiling woman held up a sign against the driver's side window.

Want to go out tonight?  
Call me later at 555-0147!

Blair immediately dove for his backpack, frantically searching for the marker he'd used previously. "Jim! I can't find my marker, man! Don't let her get away!" He searched through his pockets, then checked the floor. "Ah, ha! There it is." He held up the marker triumphantly.

"Sandburg?"

"Okay, pull up closer so I can–"

"Too late, Chief."

When Blair looked up, to his dismay, he saw that the SUV had accelerated and was now several car lengths ahead of them. "Jim!" he wailed.

"Sorry."

"Come on, Jim. You got the number, right?" Marker poised over a piece of paper, Blair prepared to write down the all important number.

"Sorry, Chief." Jim's attention was diligently focused on the road.

Blair's shoulders slumped, then he sat straight up in his seat. "Speed up, Jim. Catch up to her," he pleaded.

"Sandburg, after all your complaints about my driving, you want me to speed?"

With dawning realization, Blair shook his finger at the older man. "You got the number, didn't you?"

Jim just laughed, his eyes twinkling.

"She wants me to call her, Jim."

"What do you mean, you?" Jim asked, sparing a quick glance at his friend. "Maybe the note was for me."

Blair pouted dramatically. "Jim!"

"If you could see your face," Jim snickered.

"Jim," Blair repeated.

"You can't go out tonight."

"Why not?"

"I thought you had grading to do?"

Blair sighed. "I do, but…"

Jim nodded. "That's what I thought. So, as soon as we get home tonight, I'll make a quick phone call and be out of your way."

Blair didn't miss how Jim deliberately emphasized 'phone call.' "Come on, Jim!"

Jim held out for two more blocks, enduring Blair's pitiful sighs and pleading looks, before caving in. "555-0147."

"All right!" Blair shook his fist in the air in celebration.

"Better write the number down before you forget it, Darwin."

"Oh, yeah, right. Uh, Jim?"

Jim shook his head slowly, a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. "Hmm?"

"What was that number again?"

"Sandburg, I swear…"

"Come on, Jim. Tell me one more time. Please."

Jim remained silent.

"Pleeease!"

 

~end~


End file.
